Former Celtics great Paul Pierce was so confident in his team in Game 2 against the Knicks, he said he would walk to work barefoot “in my robe” if they lost for a second straight game in the second-round series.

“If the Celtics lose Game 2 at home, I promise you, I am walking here tomorrow,” he declared on an FS1 show Wednesday. “I guarantee this one. Put the house on this game.”

That didn’t turn out so great. The Celtics blew a 20-point lead in Game 2, as they did in Game 1, and lost 91-90.

Pierce appeared to honor his vow Thursday, saying he set out before the sun rose for what he said was a 20.2-mile commute to work in the Los Angeles area. He posted updates on Instagram Live. Pierce made the wise choice of not walking barefoot, but bath-robed? Yes.

“All right, time for me to get to steppin’,” he said after 5 a.m. Pacific time, calling himself a “man of my word.”

Golf

Mitchell shoots 61 for 1-shot lead at Truist Championship >> Keith Mitchell led a birdie spree at the Truist Championship, shooting a career-best 9-under 61 to shatter the course record at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

The previous Wissahickon Course record of 65 was shared by Colin St Maxen, Zac Blair and Angus Flanagan. Mitchell was bogey-free and had an outside chance at 59 on his second shot from 102 yards on the ninth hole, his 18th. He hit his approach to just over 9 feet and settled for a closing par and a one-shot lead over Denny McCarthy. Colin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Sepp Straka and Akshay Bhatia shot 63.

Rory McIlroy, making his first individual start since completing the career grand slam at the Masters, had a 66.

NFL

Panthers release veteran Clowney >> The Carolina Panthers have released veteran Jadeveon Clowney after selecting two edge rushers in the NFL draft.

Clowney, the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, had 5 1/2 sacks last season for the Panthers.

He had one year left on his contract.

The Panthers drafted Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton in the second round and Mississippi’s Princely Umanmielen in the third round in the NFL draft with an eye towards getting younger at the position.

MLB

Last-place Pirates fire manager Shelton >> The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton following a rocky opening month to the season that saw Pittsburgh quickly slip into last place in the NL Central.

General manager Ben Cherington made the announcement. Bench coach Don Kelly will take over for Shelton, who is the first manager fired across Major League Baseball this season.

The decision comes with Pittsburgh riding a seven-game losing streak that saw its record fall to 12-26. Shelton, hired by Cherington in November 2019 as part of a franchise-wide reset by owner Bob Nutting, went 306-440 in five-plus seasons with the Pirates.

FORMER TIGERS OF Lemon dies at 70 >> Chet Lemon, a three-time All-Star outfielder who helped the Detroit Tigers win the 1984 World Series, has died after a lengthy battle with blood cancer. He was 70.

The Tigers announced his death in a post on X on Thursday.

Lemon batted .273 with 215 homers and 884 RBIs over 16 seasons with Chicago and Detroit from 1975 to 1990.

NHL

Quenneville hired by Anaheim Ducks >> Joel Quenneville is returning to the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks for his first head coaching job since the second-winningest coach in league history resigned and was banned for his handling of a sexual assault scandal.

The 66-year-old Quenneville was hired by Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek for his first coaching job since his resignation from the Florida Panthers 3 1/2 years ago in the wake of his handling of the sexual assault scandal during his tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Verbeek called the move “a major step forward in our process of being a perennial playoff contender” and said the team had done its due diligence.

Olympics

Bird to be first managing director of USA Basketball women’s national team >> Sue Bird is giving another assist to USA Basketball, becoming the managing director of the women’s national team.

The five-time Olympic champion was named to the newly created position Thursday and it marks a major change in the way the organization creates its roster and coaching staff.

Before the change, a committee made those decisions, but now in a move similar to what the USA men’s national team does, Bird will be the one responsible for putting things together. Grant Hill has the same role on the men’s side.

LA Coliseum and SoFi Stadium to share opening and closing ceremonies for 2028 Games >> It’ll be a mix of old and new for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood will share the ceremonies, city officials announced, confirming what was part of the city’s bid in 2017.

It will be the Coliseum’s third time hosting the ceremony — the most in Olympic history — and it’ll be the first time two locations have shared it. SoFi will also host swimming at the Games.

The torch lit by decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson at the 1984 Los Angeles Games is still atop the Coliseum’s entrance.